The invention relates to a preassembled installation unit for sliding and lifting roofs of motor vehicles, in whose fixed roof surface a roof opening is formed that is openable and closable by a cover, which opening is surrounded in front and on the sides by a frame that extends to form a space receiving the cover when it is pushed back behind the roof opening under the fixed roof surface, whereby the installation unit is provided with:
side guide rails connected to one another, forming tracks,
sliders that can move rearward and forward along the tracks,
side cover supports, which are connected to the front sliders and, by pivoting elements, to the rear sliders,
pressure resistant drive cables which engage the rear sliders and for their part can be brought to engage a drive, and
guide channels for the pressure resistant drive cables whereby the guide channels are formed by guide pipes in the area of the front edge of the roof opening as well as on the sides by cable channels in the guide rails.
In a known installation unit of this type (German Pat. No. 29 14 855 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,416) the two side guide rails are connected to one another on their front ends by a cover, on whose underside the guide pipes are fastened which directly lead into the cable channels of the guide rails. In addition to the guide rails, sliders, side cover supports, drive cables and guide pipes, the installation unit comprises a gutter strip that engages under the rear edge of the roof opening when the cover is closed and is movable with the cover, guided in the guide rails by additional sliders and connected to lateral shields by rods.
In using the known installation unit on the assembly line of the vehicle manufacturer, the frame is fastened to the underside of the fixed roof surface, e.g., welded to it. Then, the installation unit is inserted into the frame and bolted to the frame. Then the cover is connected to the installation unit. The known preassembled installation unit represents a relatively unstable structure which must be put in a holding device that simulates the frame for performance testing prior to installation. Because of production tolerances the actual frame dimensions do not always agree exactly with those of the holding device for the performance test so that the results of the performance testing are not absolutely transferable to the conditions after installation in the vehicle. Thus, in certain cases, troublesome subsequent adjustments may be necessary. Further, there is the danger that the unstable installation unit will be damaged, e.g., be bent, during shipping or during handling on the assembly line of the vehicle manufacturer. This, too, can require time-consuming repair.
A primary object of the preset invention, therefore, is to provide a preassembled installation unit, for a motor vehicle sliding and lifting roof which further simplifies the installation of the sliding and lifting roof on the assembly line of the vehicle manufacturer and the necessary handling there. It is a further object of the invention to achieve the noted benefits while, at the same time, obtaining a sliding and lifting roof that is particularly economical in space and weight.
These objects are achieved according to a preferred embodiment of the invention by incorporating the frame, formerly a separate component, into the installation unit, the guide rails being integrated with the tracks and cable channels in the side frame parts, and the guide pipes being connected with the front area of the frame.
Because the frame is made of a part of the installation unit, the installation unit becomes a rigid sturdy structure which, to a large extent, is not susceptible to damage in shipping. A guarantee is provided that an installation unit, which has passed the performance test conducted before installation, will also work satisfactorily after installation. The mutual connection of the installation unit and frame, necessary in the previously known installation unit, is eliminated in the assembly on the assembly line of the vehicle manufacturer.
It is true that, in the case of a so-called spoiler roof of the type having a cover that can be moved out over the rear fixed roof surface, it is also known (German Offenlegungsschrift 31 46 905 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,767) to provide a roof frame, consisting of an upper and lower part, which forms tracks for the slide rails and guide channels, supporting the cover, for the pressure resistant drive cables. Aside from this type of roof differing in principle from that of the present invention, in this case the drive cables in the area of the front edge of the roof opening are also placed in guide channels of the two-part frame. As a result, the frame in its front area is expensive, heavy and bulky.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the drive, for example, a hand crank drive or a motor drive, can also be a component of the installation unit. This has the particular advantage that the drive, in combination with the functioning parts of the installation unit associated with it, can be pretested. The drive is advantageously mounted on a front frame part connected to the side frame parts.
A contribution to weight reduction and simplified assembly at the sliding roof manufacture is also attained, in accordance with the invention, if cable channels and/or tracks formed by the side frame parts are upwardly open and are covered at least in the their front area by cover rails placed on the side frame parts. Preferably, the cover rails are provided with stops limiting the forward movement of the front sliders. Such stops prevent the sliders from slipping out of the tracks during the performance test of the installation unit. They allow the performance test to be conducted quickly and reliably without a cover or dummy cover.
The ends of guide pipes that are turned toward the front ends of the cable channels are advantageously put into upwardly open recesses of side frame parts. As a result, an exact alignment of the guide pipes with the cable channels at the transition site is automatically enforced. Advantageously, moreover, at least a radially projecting holding element, which engages in a widening of the recess of the side frame part, is attached in each case to the ends of guide pipes turned toward the front ends of cable channels. As a result, the axial forces acting on the guide pipes can be absorbed simply and reliably. Preferably, the cover rails are provided on their underside with jaws for clamping the ends of the guide pipes. Additional holding and clamping devices, which would increase the weight of the installation unit and make its assembly more difficult, are thus eliminated.
In a further feature of the invention, tracks defined by the side frame parts and cover rails are open on one side, and stop surfaces preventing sideways slipping off of at least the front sliders from the tracks are provided. Also this feature contributes to the fact that the preassembled installation unit can be tested reliably and exactly, without a cover or cover dummy having to be put on for this test.
Advantageously, the cover rails are provided, in the area defining the tracks, with at least one opening for the passage of an element to hold the cover down. Advantageously, an up stop surface is formed on the cover rails adjacent to the back end of each opening. With such stop surfaces, an undesirable movement of the lateral shields is prevented during their pivoting movement by pivot elements. Preferably, the cover rails assume a multiple function in the way explained above, while at the same time can carry a link pin working with a respective connecting link guide of the pivot elements.
In another aspect of the invention, the installation unit additionally comprises, in a way known in the art (U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,416), a gutter strip that is connected to the lateral shields and is guided by sliders along the tracks, this gutter after installation of the installation unit in the vehicle, engaging under the rear edge of the roof opening when the cover is closed or pivoted out.
In addition, the installation unit can be complemented by a wind deflector that is hinged on the front frame part and is pivotable as a function of a movement of the lateral shields. Finally, the installation unit can advantageously be supplemented by a seal intended to be placed on the underside of the fixed roof surface, this seal being placed in a groove formed on the upper side of the frame and running around it.
The cover rails can advantageously be designed as zinc die-cast parts. This makes it possible to produce the multiple-function cover rails with especially high precision measurements. In principle the frame can be designed as a sheet metal frame. Preferably, the frame consists of plastic, especially of sheet molding compound (SMC).
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.